כָּמַר (ka.mar)
ka.mar
to grow warm
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb kāmār describes a process of heating up, appearing only four times in the Old Testament. In its basic sense, it means to become warm or hot, but the context usually points to an internal emotional state rather than physical temperature. The sources indicate it carries the nuance of growing tender, agitated, or kindled, suggesting a shift from cold indifference to active feeling.
This word is most frequently found in Lamentations, where it captures the raw heat of grief and longing. It describes how the heart becomes "hot" with sorrow or yearning for Jerusalem’s destruction. In Hosea 7:4, it illustrates how the king’s heart grows warm with wine-fueled mockery, showing a different kind of agitation—one of indulgence rather than mourning. The term bridges the gap between physical heat and emotional intensity.
Unlike other words for love or pity, kāmār emphasizes the sudden or growing nature of the feeling. It is not a steady state but a reaction that heats up the person. Translators often render it as "grow hot" or "be kindled," preserving the image of an internal fire that changes the person’s disposition toward their situation.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The verb kāmār paints a vivid picture of internal heat rising. It describes a heart that grows warm, whether from the deep ache of grief or the sudden stirrings of compassion. This word reminds us that our emotions are not cold or static; they respond to what matters most in our lives.
In Lamentations, this warmth is the heat of mourning for a destroyed city. In Kings, it is the fierce love of a mother protecting her child. These images show that feeling deeply is part of being human. When we encounter loss or love, our hearts naturally respond with intensity.
Understanding this word helps us recognize the validity of our own feelings. It is okay to feel the heat of sorrow or the warmth of care. These responses connect us to others and to the God who sees our inner lives. We do not need to hide our emotional reactions; they are part of our shared human experience.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they have grown warm1×
- they have grown hot1×
- they had grown warm1×
- they grew warm1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִכְמָ֔רוּ1×
- נִכְמְר֥וּ1×
- נִכְמְר֤וּ1×
- נִכְמְר֣וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Lamentations 5:10
Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
This verse uses the word to describe the physical heat of famine, linking bodily suffering with the intensity of the situation.
-
I Kings 3:26
Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.”
Here the term captures a mother's urgent compassion as she pleads for her child's life, showing how the heart grows warm with protective love.
-
Genesis 43:30
Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.
Joseph’s heart yearning over his brother illustrates the internal heat of familial bond and sorrow at separation.